The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 37th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009, after 56 events.
Serena Williams and Dinara Safina engaged in a battle for the year-end No. 1 ranking, with Williams eventually coming out on top after winning the WTA Tour Championships. She won two Grand Slam titles during the year. Safina ascended to No. 1 in April and held it for much of the rest of the season. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Caroline Wozniacki and Elena Dementieva also enjoyed successful years in 2009.
Jelena Janković also battled with inconsistent results, falling from No. 1 in January to No. 8 by November.
Kim Clijsters returned to competitive tennis in August after giving birth to her daughter, and won the US Open title. Maria Sharapova made her comeback in May, having missed all tournaments since the summer of 2008, and rose back into the top 20.
The 2009 season saw the Women's Tennis Association undergo what was described as "its most sweeping reforms in history", with the aim of creating a more fan friendly structure to the Tour, to reduce player withdrawals, and increase player commitment in the biggest tournaments.
The main features of the new "Roadmap" calendar saw the abolition of the previous Tier system, which were replaced by Premier and International tournaments. 20 Premier events were to be held throughout the season, down from the 26 Tier I and Tier II events that were held in 2008. Of those 20, four—the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open in Madrid, and the China Open in Beijing—would be mandatory,[1] offering $4.5 million in prize money. Along with that were five other tournaments, the Premier 5s, which offered $2 million in prize money. Ten other Premier tournaments were also held throughout the season. These would all lead up to the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar, which boasted a $4.5 million total prize fund.
In addition, 30 International events were created to replace the previous Tier III and IV categories. The top performers in the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships who won an International title during the season were to be eligible to compete in the season-ending Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, which was held the week after the Sony Ericsson Championships.
The Roadmap calendar also saw a 30% increase in the length off the off-season, from 7 to 9 weeks, with the season ending in October, as well as more breaks between the bigger tournaments throughout the season, an increase in back-to-back events, a decrease in player commitment, a limitation on top player participation in International tournaments and stronger penalties for top players who miss Premier tournament commitments.
The WTA Tour also moved more closely to a combined Tour with the ATP, with 31% of events being combined men and women events, and equal prize money being offered at ten of the biggest events throughout the season. Total prize money increased to $86 million, which was once again a record high, up from $67 million the previous year.
With the changes came a new ranking system, which now included the player's best-performing 16 events (down from 17), including the four Grand Slam tournaments and the four mandatory events for all players who qualified by ranking, and the awarding of "zero pointers" for top players missing commitments at the biggest events.[2]
Lastly, the Women's Tennis Association also announced that On Court Coaching would be included in all events on the Roadmap calendar. Having been tested in many events since 2006, the decision to approve the move was made to increase the relationship between the viewer and the sport, with viewers being able to listen in on conversations between players and their coaches, who are required to wear a microphone during the exchange. Players were allowed to request their coach once per set, at a changeover or at the end of the set, or when the opposing player was taking a medical timeout or toilet break.[3]
Season summary
Dinara Safina held No. 1 for 26 weeks from April; and was two times Grand Slam finalist.
Singles
Elena Dementieva started the season on a hot streak, taking the title in Sydney, beating Dinara Safina in the final, as well as winning a smaller tournament in Auckland the week before, putting her as a firm contender at the season's opening Grand Slam, the Australian Open.
During the Australian Open fortnight, Venus Williams became the first big casualty when she lost in the second round to Carla Suárez Navarro. Jelena Dokić made a fairytale run to the quarterfinals, the furthest she'd been in a Grand Slam event since 2002, and world No. 1 Jelena Janković lost in the fourth round to Marion Bartoli. In the quarterfinals, Dokić's run was ended by Safina, with Vera Zvonareva, Dementieva and Serena Williams also moving through. Williams eventually beat Safina in a match that saw the No. 1 ranking on the line, to win her tenth Grand Slam title, and fourth at the Australian Open, and sealing her return to the No. 1 spot.
February saw Amélie Mauresmo overcome her struggling form in the previous two seasons to win the Premier event in Paris. Venus Williams also won the Roadmap's first Premier 5 event in Dubai, beating surprise finalist Virginie Razzano.
At the mandatory Indian Wells, Zvonareva won her biggest career title thus far with a win over Ivanovic in the final. Safina had another chance to reach No. 1 after this tournament, but lost to Victoria Azarenka. Azarenka won the event in Miami, stopping Serena Williams achieving a record-breaking sixth title there. Janković continued her struggles with her second straight loss, with Safina, Zvonareva and Ivanovic also losing early.
Safina ascended to the No. 1 ranking on April 20 despite not playing the previous week, due to Williams not defending her title. Playing in her first tournament as the No. 1, Safina lost in the final of Stuttgart to Kuznetsova, before avenging the loss by beating Kuznetsova in the Rome final. In the final major warm-up event, Safina beat Caroline Wozniacki to win Madrid.
After a strong clay season, Safina was the favourite to win her first Grand Slam at the French Open, and she eventually moved through to the finals in the top half. On the bottom half, Kuznetsova came through, beating Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, to set up the third meeting between the two during the clay season. With Safina heavily favoured, Kuznetsova won the title for her second Grand Slam title in singles, and first since the US Open in 2004. Elsewhere, in a fortnight of surprises, Dominika Cibulková reached her first Grand Slam semifinal, beating Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, who was returning from a lengthy lay-off from shoulder surgery recovery. Samantha Stosur also reached her first Grand Slam semifinal, taking down Elena Dementieva in the second round. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic lost to Azarenka in the fourth round, a loss which dropped her out of the top 10 in the world.
The top four seeds all reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, the first time it had happened since 2006. The first week did, however, see French Open champion Kuznetsova upset by Sabine Lisicki on her way to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, and Janković lose to American teenager Melanie Oudin. The semifinals were direct contrasts to each other, with Venus Williams thrashing Safina in the top half semifinal, and Serena Williams beating Dementieva in an epic 8–6 in the third encounter. The final was the fourth all-Williams Wimbledon final, and the second in a row. Serena avenged her loss to Venus in last year's final to win her third Wimbledon title, first since 2003, and eleventh Grand Slam title overall.
The US Open Series turned out to be an open race, with five different champions being crowned at the tournaments. Eventually, it went to Toronto champion Elena Dementieva, who also reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and Stanford. Flavia Pennetta finished second after winning Los Angeles and reaching the semifinals in Cincinnati and New Haven, results which saw her break into the top 10. Cincinnati champion Jelena Janković came third. Also during the summer hardcourt season, Kim Clijsters made her return to competitive tennis in Cincinnati after giving birth.
Caroline Wozniacki broke the top 10 during the season, and reached the US Open final.
At the US Open, Caroline Wozniacki reached her first Grand Slam final after a half of upsets which saw Safina, Janković and Dementieva all lose in the first week. Melanie Oudin reached her first major quarterfinal by defeating Dementieva, Sharapova and Petrova back-to-back, while Yanina Wickmayer reached her first semifinal at this level. In the bottom half, Clijsters came through after defeating Venus Williams in the fourth round, and later her sister Serena in the semifinals, in a match that ended with Williams receiving a point penalty, and later a fine, for unsportsmanlike conduct after reacting to a foot fault called by the linesperson. In the final, Clijsters beat Wozniacki to win her second Grand Slam title in only her third tournament back, and become the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.
The fall season saw Maria Sharapova win her first title since returning from her shoulder surgery in Tokyo. Kimiko Date-Krumm provided a notable story, becoming the second oldest player to ever win a title in the Open Era in Seoul. Svetlana Kuznetsova won the event in Beijing, beating Agnieszka Radwańska in the final. Following that tournament, Safina surrendered her No. 1 ranking to Serena Williams, before regaining it the week prior to the WTA Tour Championships. This meant that the year-end No. 1 would be decided in Doha, with whoever performed better in the tournament achieving the position. Safina retired in her first match, while Williams went on to win the title to become the year-end No. 1 for only the second time, after 2002.
Schedule
This is the complete schedule of events on the 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage.[4][5]
Key
Grand Slam events
Year-end championships
WTA Premier Mandatory tournaments
WTA Premier 5 tournaments
WTA Premier tournaments
WTA International tournaments
Team events
January
Week
Tournament
Champions
Runners-up
Semifinalists
Quarterfinalists
Jan 5
Hopman Cup Perth, Australia Hopman Cup Hard (i) – A$1,000,000 – 8 teams (RR)
total number of titles (a doubles title won by two players representing the same nation counts as only one win for the nation);
highest amount of highest category tournaments (for example, having a single Grand Slam gives preference over any kind of combination without a Grand Slam title);
The following is the 2009 top 20 in the Race To The Championships.[5] Premier Mandatory Events are counted even if the player did not compete, if there is no injury excuse, it is counted as one of their events, when you are in the top 10. Players in gold are players who competed in the 2009 WTA Tour Championships.
Serena Williams topped the money list for the 2nd consecutive season and for the 3rd time overall. In doing so, she also became the first woman to win $6,000,000 in a single season. The top-12 players earned over $1,000,000.
Following are notable players who announced their retirement from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour during the 2009 season:
Nathalie Dechy The former world number 11 and 2006–2007 US Open doubles champion announced her retirement from professional tennis in July 2009.[6]
Eva Fislová The former world number 98 announced her retirement in 2009.
Jamea Jackson The former world number 45 announced her retirement from professional tennis in August 2009.[7]
Émilie Loit The former world number 27 announced her retirement in 2009.[8]
Amélie MauresmoThe former world number 1 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champion announced her retirement from professional tennis in December 2009.[9]
Akiko Morigami The former world number 41 announced her retirement in 2009.[10]
Tzipora Obziler The former world number 75 announced her retirement in 2009.[11]
María Emilia Salerni The former world number 65 announced her retirement in 2009.
Milagros Sequera The former world number 48 announced her retirement in 2009.
Bryanne Stewart The former doubles world number 16 announced her retirement in 2009.
Ai SugiyamaThe former doubles world number 1 three Grand Slam women's doubles titles announced her retirement from professional tennis in October 2009.[12]
Justine Henin is a Belgian former world No. 1 tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin, coming from a country with limited success in tennis, helped establish Belgium as a leading force in women's tennis alongside Kim Clijsters, and led the country to its first Fed Cup crown in 2001. She was known for her all-court style of play and for being one of the few female players to use a single-handed backhand.
Silvia Farina-Elia is a former professional tennis player from Italy. She won three WTA singles titles, reached the quarterfinals of the 2003 Wimbledon Championships and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in May 2002. Farina-Elia won her first ITF title at Caltagirone in 1991 and her first WTA tournament at Strasbourg in 2001. She made her debut Grand Slam appearance at the 1991 French Open and was coached by husband Francesco Elia, whom she married September 1999.
Dinara Mubinovna Safina is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. Safina was runner-up in singles at the 2008 French Open, 2009 Australian Open, and the 2009 French Open. She had even greater success at major events in doubles, winning the 2007 US Open with Nathalie Dechy. She also won the Olympic silver medal in women's singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak tennis commentator and retired player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first WTA Tour title at the Indian Wells Open, defeating Martina Hingis in the final and becoming the lowest-ranked player to ever win the tournament. She also reached the quarterfinals of that year's Wimbledon Championships and US Open, ending the year in the top ten. She was part of the Slovak team that won the 2002 Fed Cup and the 2005 Hopman Cup.
The 2006 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 2, 2006, and concluded on November 12, 2006, after 61 events.
The 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2007 tennis season. The calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup and the year-end championships.
The 2007 WTA Tour Championships, officially Sony Ericsson Championships, is the thirty seventh season-ending WTA Tour Championships, the annual tennis tournament for the eight best female tennis players in singles, and four teams in doubles, on the 2007 WTA Tour. It was held from 6 November though 11 November 2007, in Madrid, Spain.
The 2004 WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2004 season. The 2004 WTA Tour calendar comprised the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-V Events, the Fed Cup, the Summer Olympic Games and the year-end championships.
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for the 2008 tennis season. The 2008 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tier I-IV Events, the Fed Cup, the year-end championships, and the tennis event at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
The 2008 WTA Tour Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 38th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 33rd edition of the year-end doubles championships, and is part of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, Qatar, from 4 November through 9 November 2008.
The 2008 Qatar Telecom German Open was a women's tennis event that was played from 5 May to 11 May 2008. It was one of two Tier I events that took place on red clay in the build-up to the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open. It was played at the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club in the German capital of Berlin. The tournaments offered a total prize fund of US$1,300,000 across all rounds.
Elena Viacheslavovna Dementieva is a Russian former professional tennis player. She won the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, having previously won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She won 16 WTA singles titles, reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open and reached seven other Grand Slam semifinals. Dementieva was also part of the Russian team that won the 2005 Fed Cup. In doubles, she won the 2002 WTA Championships with Janette Husárová and was the runner-up in two US Open doubles finals – in 2002 with Husárová and in 2005 with Flavia Pennetta. Dementieva achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3, which was accomplished on 6 April 2009. She announced her retirement on 29 October 2010, after her final match at the 2010 WTA Championships. Between 2003 and 2010, she only ended one year, in 2007, outside the top 10. She is considered to be one of the most talented players never to have won a Grand Slam tournament.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2009. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.
The 2009 WTA Tour Championships was held in Doha, Qatar from October 27 to November 1. It was the second time the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships.
Jelena Janković is a Serbian former world No. 1 tennis player. Janković reached the top ranking before her career-best major performance, a runner-up finish at the 2008 US Open. Janković won 15 WTA Tour singles titles and two doubles titles, with career highlights including the 2007 Wimbledon mixed-doubles title partnering Jamie Murray.
The 2010 WTA Tour or 2010 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Premier tournaments, the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup, and the year-end championships. Also included in the 2010 calendar is the Hopman Cup, which does not distribute ranking points and is organized by the ITF.
This page covers all the important events in the sport of tennis in 2010. Primarily, it provides the results of notable tournaments throughout the year on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the Davis Cup, and the Fed Cup.
The 2010 WTA Tour Championships was held in Doha, Qatar from October 26 to October 31. It was the third and final time that the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships. In 2011 the competition will move to Istanbul, Turkey.
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova is a Russian former professional tennis player. She is a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, winning the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open, and finished as runner-up at two other Majors. In doubles, Kuznetsova reached the finals of each Major at least once, winning the Australian Open twice.
Serena Williams's 2009 tennis season officially began at the 2009 Medibank International Sydney. Williams finished the year ranked world no. 1 for the second time in her career, having played in 16 tournaments, more than any other year. She also broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for the most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year, with Williams earning $6,545,586. In doubles, she finished the year ranked world no. 3, despite playing only six tournaments as a pair. She won five Grand Slam titles, putting her total Grand Slam titles at 23.
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Victoria Azarenka 
Elena Dementieva 
Serena Williams 
Caroline Wozniacki (3)
Yanina Wickmayer 
